A federal grand jury in Los Angeles is gathering evidence in a criminal investigation of Goodyear RV tires that the government blames for crashes that killed eight people and injured dozens of others.
The grand jury has subpoenaed Arizona lawyer David Kurtz seeking all documents and deposition transcripts in a lawsuit he filed against the Akron, Ohio, tire maker.
A letter accompanying the Jan. 4 subpoena says it was issued in an “official criminal investigation being conducted by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.” It also says the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch in Washington is involved, as well as the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles.
Documents from Kurtz’s lawsuit touched off a 2017 investigation of the tires by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that resulted in a recall last year. The documents also revealed Goodyear knew the G159 RV tire could fail and cause severe crashes, yet it didn’t recall them for as many as 20 years.
To read the full story from Tom Krisher of the Associated Press, click here.